C# 4.0 optional out/ref arguments

No.

A workaround is to overload with another method that doesn't have out / ref parameters, and which just calls your current method.

public bool SomeMethod(out string input)
{
    ...
}

// new overload
public bool SomeMethod()
{
    string temp;
    return SomeMethod(out temp);
}

---

If you have C# 7.0, you can simplify:

// new overload
public bool SomeMethod()
{
    return SomeMethod(out _);    // declare out as an inline discard variable
}

(Thanks @Oskar / @Reiner for pointing this out.)

As already mentioned, this is simply not allowed and I think it makes a very good sense. However, to add some more details, here is a quote from the C# 4.0 Specification, section 21.1:

Formal parameters of constructors, methods, indexers and delegate types can be declared optional:

fixed-parameter:
    attributes_opt parameter-modifier_opt type identifier default-argument_opt
default-argument:
    = expression

• A fixed-parameter with a default-argument is an optional parameter, whereas a fixed-parameter without a default-argument is a required parameter.
• A required parameter cannot appear after an optional parameter in a formal-parameter-list.
• A ref or out parameter cannot have a default-argument.

No, but another great alternative is having the method use a generic template class for optional parameters as follows:

public class OptionalOut<Type>
{
    public Type Result { get; set; }
}

Then you can use it as follows:

public string foo(string value, OptionalOut<int> outResult = null)
{
    // .. do something

    if (outResult != null) {
        outResult.Result = 100;
    }

    return value;
}

public void bar ()
{
    string str = "bar";

    string result;
    OptionalOut<int> optional = new OptionalOut<int> ();

    // example: call without the optional out parameter
    result = foo (str);
    Console.WriteLine ("Output was {0} with no optional value used", result);

    // example: call it with optional parameter
    result = foo (str, optional);
    Console.WriteLine ("Output was {0} with optional value of {1}", result, optional.Result);

    // example: call it with named optional parameter
    foo (str, outResult: optional);
    Console.WriteLine ("Output was {0} with optional value of {1}", result, optional.Result);
}